Some would call it vandalism, but the new term is “artistic disruption.” This as protesters poured pink paint on the statues of Sir. John A. Macdonald at Queen’s Park and on Egerton Ryerson at Ryerson University on Saturday morning.
Toronto police say they have arrested three people after protesters splattered paint on statues at the Ontario legislature and Ryerson University.
In a news release on Saturday, Black Lives Matter – Toronto claimed credit for the defacing, saying it is calling on the city and province to defund the police, invest in communities and create emergency safety services that “do not harm Black and Indigenous people.”
The group, which said the defacing is an “artistic disruption,” denounced anti-Black racism.
“Along with a coalition of artists, the group artistically disrupted statues of slaveholders and monuments to colonialism at Ryerson University and at Queen’s Park,” the news release reads.
“The action comes after the City of Toronto and the Province of Ontario have failed to take action against police violence against Black people,” it continues.
After the arrests a large number of protesters re-gathered at Toronto Police Headquarters chanting calls to de-fund the police service.
Leave a comment